Hi inmates ! My son and I are going to Yellowstone Nat. Pk. in a weeks time ,and wondering if anyone has some ideas on good places to visit on the way . Our route will be through Chicago -Sioux Falls- Rapid City -Shreidan- OR Chicago- Minneapolis- Fargo- Bismark -Billings Ideas ? Better routes ? Would be great to hear from you guys as I haven't been that route/s before. We will be on DL1000 SILVER VSTROMS with our ADV stickers on the rear with Ontario plates ,so if ya see us introduce yerselves ! IRISHDEC AND SON
I can suggest a route I took west from Boston to Laguna Seca a few years ago. Take your Sioux Falls route and stop and see the falls in the middle of town. Camp at Badlands National Monument and take the small dirt road fouth from the west end. You'll want to stop at Wounded Knee. Then maybe head west to Hot Springs at the southern end of the Black Hills. Then ride north through the Black Hills through Custer and maybe Lead. Can see Mount Rushmore if you want or at least ride by the Crazy Horse monument. It's cool. Then west on I-90. Little Bighorn is right alongside the freeway. Not much to look at, though. North of Sheridan you'll want to find Highway 14 west over the Bighorn Mountains to Greybull. Spectacular. Then Highway 16 west to Cody Wy. Then on into Yellowstone.
As a side loop; just south of Yellowstone on highway 26 just north of Dubois, there is a beautiful dirt road called Union Pass Road/Warm Springs Rd. It goes south to Pinedale through the Wind River Range. Very remote riding. If the roads are dry should be fun. Mud will stop you, though. It is part of the Continental Divide Ride. I rode a small dual sport with knobbys. You'll need good maps. I had tracks loaded into my GPS, which is best. Generally you just follow the most well maintained road and you'll end up in Pinedale.
I'm leaving in a week-and-a-half (7/12-13) from upstate NY to Oregon, and am planning on the Chicago-Sioux Falls route, to swing up to Glacier National Park. Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower are in the plans. I-90 and US2 look like they'll be the major mile chunks to get to GNP. Ride safe!
Maybe a bit late but the grand loop tour catches most of the highlights. Both Hayden and the Lamar valleys are amazing and are my favorite spots in the park. I like having lunch at the Yellowstone lake hotel or at least eat an ice cream cone from the nearby store while sitting on the shore line. Be sure to do Beartooth Highway on the way in or out, or both.
Planning an epic ride from Dubois, Wyoming (yes, someone finally discovered Union Pass, and yes, stop by the cabin), to Vermont. Will be getting his SV650 back to his school for his senior year. Really? You are willing to skip Going to the Sun in Glacier (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-tzC9kTH8s) and the Beartooth. Absolute world class rides. There are a lot of "nice" rides out here but for asphalt these cannot be beat. For big trailie dirt rides, in addition to Union Pass over the Wind Rivers there is McDugal Gap over the Wyoming Range and the Grassy Lakes Road from Flagg Ranch(south entrance to Yellowstone Park) over to Ashton Idaho. Idaho is heaven for pavement to dirt and back. Many of our best roads end in Wilderness but there are classic connections and loops. Idaho is loaded with hot springs suitable for end of ride relaxation. Wyoming has a few. Now, how do I avoid Chicago when I hit Lake Superior on Route 2. Would like to party in Montreal then drop my son off in Vermont. Maybe ride the mountains south. Got friends in DC, Daytona and in Austin. Check out New Orleans... New Mex, Colo(do check out the near ghost town of Fair Play) high country and home. Come on out, the weather is fine...NOT! Early snows this year. Gone hunting.
